Aoun Says Promised Hariri to Guarantee His Return to Lebanon, Urges 'Parliamentary Vote or System Change'

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said he is waiting for al-Mustaqbal movement to nominate him or endorse a “new candidate” for the presidency, revealing that he had told Mustaqbal leader Saad Hariri that he would guarantee his “political security” if he returns to Lebanon.

“Mustaqbal Movement officials contacted me and we had the intent to meet in the summer of 2013 but the circumstances did not allow us to do so. We then scheduled a meeting in Rome and we agreed not to publicize it so that they (political rivals) don't force its failure before it even happens,” Aoun said in an interview on OTV.

According to media reports, the meeting between the two men was held in December 2013.

“I told Hariri that Lebanon cannot bear further deterioration and that the trials of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had kicked off and that we would accept the rulings. I said the situation in Lebanon was deteriorating and that we cannot unite the country without cooperating with the other camp,” said Aoun.

He noted that he agreed with Hariri on “the issue of Lebanon's unity,” pointing out that Hizbullah's weapons were among the topics that they discussed.

“I did not discuss the presidential vote with Hariri and I told him that I can guarantee his political security if he returns to Lebanon but noted that I cannot guarantee it if I'm not in power,” added Aoun.

“I talked with Hariri about an electoral law based on proportional representation and 15 electorates and he said he would look into the matter but until now I have not received any answer,” the FPM leader said.

Asked about his response if talks with Hariri fail, Aoun said: “I do not know what would happen if negotiations with Hariri hit a dead end ... Can he find a figure who enjoys the consensus of both camps?”

“I think there are two obstacles holding back Hariri: his allies and Saudi Arabia, but this is my evaluation and I cannot judge things that I don't know,” he added.

“We cannot interfere in the issue of Hizbullah, which has become part of the solution in Syria. Hariri talked about the party's weapons in cities and I said that neither us nor Hizbullah want the weapons to be in the city. Will Hizbullah occupy Beirut for example?” Aoun asked sarcastically.

He noted that Hariri “can only endorse someone from his camp for the presidency.”

“But after he fails once, twice and three times, he must find a solution, or else we would stay three or four years without a president,” Aoun warned.

Asked if he intends to officially announce his nomination for the presidency anytime soon, Aoun said: “As long as there are no presidential candidates other than those who were in the first session – (Democratic Gathering MP) Henri Helou and (Lebanese Forces leader) Samir Geagea -- I will not attend the sessions, because we would be wasting time.”

“If al-Mustaqbal movement has another candidate, let them announce his name and we would congratulate them.”

Aoun pointed out that the constitutional timeframe for parliamentary elections “is in effect, whether there is a president or not.”

“We won't delay the polls to wait for the election of a president and we want to hold them under a new electoral law,” he said.

“Even if there is no president, the parliament has the right to legislate in issues related to the formation of authorities, such as the electoral law,” Aoun stated.

“The interior minister must set a date for the parliamentary elections and he has a one month deadline, between September and October, and if that does not happen, we will take other measures. I do not acknowledge the legitimacy of the current parliament in the first place and I had filed an appeal and I'm awaiting the ruling,” Aoun went on to say.

The FPM leader declared that “a drastic change will take place in the political system if the parliamentary elections were not held.”

“I will propose new rules for the election of the president, as it is unacceptable to continue things as they are now,” he added.

“We went to parliament and gave Geagea a chance, but he did not garner all the votes of his bloc,” Aoun said.

He noted that Wednesday's parliamentary session dedicated to vote on a new president “will be similar to the previous sessions,” which were stripped of the necessary quorum due to the boycott of Aoun and his allies.

“I will announce my nomination when the political situation in parliament becomes clear and when (the current candidates) are dismissed,” Aoun said.

“Don't I have the right not to announce my nomination? I want them to understand that our right cannot be easily usurped. They marginalized the president and the parliament after taking 37 parliamentary seats. They marginalized us in cabinet during the tenure of Michel Suleiman who had claimed that he wanted to preserve the rights of Christians,” the FPM chief lamented.

“It is totally rejected to choose the weakest Christian as president and I will not tolerate this ... I'm the strongest and I'm the one who represents (the Christians) and my popularity is on the rise,” he added.

Y.R.

Timeline

17 June 2014, 21:51

Aoun: It is totally rejected to choose the weakest Christian as president and I will not tolerate this ... I'm the strongest and I'm the one who represents (the Christians) and my popularity is on the rise.

17 June 2014, 21:47

Aoun: Don't I have the right not to announce my nomination? I want them to understand that our right cannot be easily usurped. They marginalized the president and the parliament after taking 37 parliamentary seats. They marginalized us in cabinet during the tenure of Michel Suleiman who had claimed that he wanted to preserve the rights of Christians.

17 June 2014, 21:41

Aoun: I will announce my nomination when the political situation in parliament becomes clear and when (the current candidates) are dismissed.

17 June 2014, 21:41

Aoun: I believe that the cabinet's next session will not be held without announcing these agreements.

17 June 2014, 21:40

Aoun: The government cannot govern as if there is a president and some agreements must be devised and I believe that agreements have already been reached and many proposals are about to be finalized.

17 June 2014, 21:39

Aoun: Helou has the right to be a nominee and to ask for my support and everyone's support and we have wished him success.

17 June 2014, 21:38

Aoun: Why is Walid Beik stirring a media uproar? I have not asked him to vote for me, so why is he saying that he won't give me his votes?

17 June 2014, 21:36

Aoun: It is normal to meet with Berri. He oversees everything and he has his bloc and normal position and the meeting with him with positive.

17 June 2014, 21:26

Aoun: The so-called Bkirki list (of candidates) has been refuted. Geagea's initiatives are futile and tomorrow's session will be similar to the previous sessions.

17 June 2014, 21:24

Aoun: We went to parliament and gave Geagea a chance, but he did not garner all the votes of his bloc.

17 June 2014, 21:22

Aoun: We want to have a say in decisions and Christians must play a major role.

17 June 2014, 21:19

Aoun: A drastic change will take place in the political system if the parliamentary elections were not held and I will propose new rules for the election of the president, as it is unacceptable to continue things as they are now.

17 June 2014, 21:17

Aoun: The interior minister must set a date for the parliamentary elections and he has a one month deadline, between September and October, and if that does not happen, we will take other measures. I do not acknowledge the legitimacy of the current parliament in the first place and I had filed an appeal and I'm awaiting the ruling.

17 June 2014, 21:15

Aoun: Even if there is no president, the parliament has the right to legislate in issues related to the formation of authorities, such as the electoral law.

17 June 2014, 21:15

Aoun: The constitutional timeframe for parliamentary elections is in effect, whether there is a president or not. We won't delay the polls to wait for the election of a president and we want to hold them under a new electoral law.

17 June 2014, 21:13

Aoun: As long as there are no presidential candidates other than those who were in the first session -- Henri Helou and Samir Geagea -- I will not attend the sessions, because we would be wasting time. If al-Mustaqbal movement has another candidate, let them announce his name and we would congratulate them.

17 June 2014, 21:10

Aoun: It is true that Nader Hariri had raised with me the issue of extending Suleiman's term but I rejected.

17 June 2014, 21:01

Aoun: Hariri can only endorse someone from his camp for the presidency but after he fails once, twice and three times, he must find a solution, or else we would stay three or four years without a president.

17 June 2014, 20:57

Aoun: We cannot interfere in the issue of Hizbullah, which has become part of the solution in Syria. Hariri talked about the party's weapons in cities and I said that neither us nor Hizbullah want the weapons to be in the city. Will Hizbullah occupy Beirut for example?

17 June 2014, 20:55

Aoun: I think there are two obstacles holding back Hariri: his allies and Saudi Arabia, but this is my evaluation and I cannot judge things that I don't know.

17 June 2014, 20:54

Aoun: I do not know what would happen if negotiations with Hariri hit a dead end ... Can he find a figure who enjoys the consensus of both camps?

17 June 2014, 20:52

Aoun: I talked with Hariri about an electoral law based on proportional representation and 15 electorates and he said he would look into the matter but until now I have not received any answer.

17 June 2014, 20:51

Aoun: I did not discuss the presidential vote with Hariri and I told him that I can guarantee his political security if he returns to Lebanon but noted that I cannot guarantee it if I'm not in power.

17 June 2014, 20:51

Aoun: We agreed on the issue of Lebanon's unity and we discussed Hizbullah's weapons.

17 June 2014, 20:49

Aoun: I told Hariri that Lebanon cannot bear further deterioration and that STL trials had kicked off and that we would accept the rulings. I said the situation in Lebanon was deteriorating and that we cannot unite the country without cooperating with the other camp.

17 June 2014, 20:48

Aoun: Mustaqbal Movement officials contacted me and we had the intent to meet in the summer of 2013 but the circumstances did not allow us to do so. We then scheduled a meeting in Rome and we agreed not to publicize it so that they don't force its failure before it even happens.

17 June 2014, 20:42

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in an interview on OTV: In 1994, I had predicted that fundamentalism would rise to power in the Islamic countries.

17 June 2014, 20:42

Aoun: I also said that Lebanon will not remain safe from the fundamentalist tide but noted that it won't be very dangerous.

the fact that "he had told Mustaqbal leader Saad Hariri that he would guarantee his “political security” if he returns to Lebanon" is a best proof that he and his masters are behind the threats against him, and more importantly behind all the assassinations of M14 noble figures.

Karim I bet you still have a picture of mr aoun wearing his army greens at age 40 looking all tough while holding his golden knife and fork. That is the picture you conjure up every time you cut and paste your mr aoun the crusader phrase.

i dont believe aoun has any true supporters..his supporters are marada, SSNP, and hizbullah..so no habboub...you can never get this chair..neither you nor your family..and no one wants guarantees from u..coz none of your allies actually listen to what you have to say...

Islamic Fundamentalism has been nurtured by the Assad Regime. He works both sides of the fence as he has nurtured Hezbollah at the behest of his regional ally Iran, and he has nurtured and deployed ISIS and its immediate predecessors into Iraq during the US Occupation and into Lebanon at Nahr el Barid. To the extent that Aoun claims to have predicted that fundamentalism would be the wave in the region, Aoun assisted its rise by allying with Assad and enabling Hezbollah both in Lebanon and Syria.

Aoun confirms that the quid pro quo with Hariri is that Aoun guarantee Hariri from Syrian or Hezbollah assassination in return for Mustaqbel support in the election. Aoun demands support first and then the guarantee, that he is not able to give second. Mustaqbel support for Aoun is thus a non-starter, he cannot deliver either Assad or Nasrallah to Hariri.

Aoun's position on the Parliamentary elections without a president in place is unconstitutional. Parliament cannot meet to adopt a new electoral law or to consider any other legislation or act until it first performs its duty to elect a president.

Finally, Aoun's position that Mustaqbel support someone other than Geagea or else he will continue to boycott Parliament, denying it a quorum, even though he refuses to put his name into nomination is a willful act, done in obenience to his paymasters to continue the erosion of Lebanese government institutions so as to give Hezbollah more breathing room to fester and grow inside of Lebanon. Hezbollah is cancer and Aoun is sugar that feeds the cancer.

You are the weakest leader in all sects and the biggest coward!!! Go hide in shame for betraying your fellow comrads when u ran at midnight in your pajamas like cinderella.
Atleast with Geagea whether you like him or not he didnt run from his accusers and faced 12 years in jail. So my dum Aounist followers wake up.

I'm the strongest and I'm the one who represents the Christians and my popularity is on the rise... dammit! here we go again, he's channeling Muhammad Ali now we'll have to rope-a-dope him. It's the same thing every time he get exited or finds a new poll showing his popularity still plummeting, it's becoming more frequent with his Alzheimer intensifying. Now he's gonna start sobbing again. But don't worry your General will be fine we have a "procedure". First I'll rush him down to the panic room telling him that the Syrians are coming so he strays put. There, after using full a box of Depends, he'll cry himself to sleep while repeating "I don't want to die, I don't want to die" . Then Chamel will carry him to the bedroom and give him a shot of Diazepam. As usual he'll wake up in the morning remember nothing and tell me all about the nightmare he had.

why do you put so much energy on such a waste of a human being? he's a real life Iznogoud, who would rather destroy the country than see it flourish at the hands of anybody else. This is more proof of the stupidity of his followers, the claounies

retard Aoun just starting to understand that HizbIran using him like a poker chip to get another candidate. Who cares about Hariri return ? Lets garantee a normal country where only the army is armed, where the government controls ports and airport and not the captagon militia...

"Me or no one" is democracy. What a farce?.No wonder this is how he learnt from his superiors (local and Iranians).
I wonder if Aoun has now this superiority complex, how he may behave in case he is in power. Just remember his failure in the past

Mr aoun you once again reaffirm our understanding of your patriotic and democratic position. You have clarified your position against the baabda declaration. Against the democratic process and within the democratic timeframes. Your position on HA's arm's contrary to your beloved MOU and your contempt for lebanon and it's people. To suggest it be you or no one else and go as far as trying to manipulate this by suggesting a new parliament in the absence of a head of state clearly demonstrates your pathetic self righteous attitude and dictatorial tendencies. You do not have any more cards to play and have been redundant and irrelevant for some years now. You proclaim to be the strongest but are acting like a spoiled little child. You are holding the country at ransom over your evil determination to reach the chair and have been exposed as a fraud on many occasions. Your flip flopping puts jumblot to shame. 3ayb 3alayk mr aoun 3ayb.

Gabby that is correct. Aoun has sold his soul for a fist full of dollars and can now make such guarantees. But not until Hariri grants him the keys to baabda. It is called conditional love.

Do you notice a common theme in his statements. " I" am, I want , I, I,I. Always about him pity he doesn't love his country nearly as much as he loves himself. I believe it is called small man syndrome.

There are so many things wrong about this a-hole, I don't know where to begin.

1. First of all, you can't eliminate your opponents candidate in any democracy. That only happens in Iran and Syria.

2. Secondly..... Stop boycotting the prez elections and preventing quorum! Where else in the world is that considered a democratic right?

3. Why hasn't M8 named a Presidential candidate? It makes no sense.

4. Aoun is not the leader of Christians. Parliament elects the Prez,and there are 37 M14 Christian MP's versus 27 M8 MP's. Do the math!!

5. FPM is the equivalent to the Tea Party in the US. FPM has a minority of Christian MP's in Parliament, just as the Tea Party is a minority caucus within the Republican Party. But they are both the most obnoxious sub-party within the group that they identify with.

6. Aoun's guarantee of safety to Hariri is basically his admission that M8 killed all the other M14 martyrs.

"Hariri talked about the party's weapons in cities and I said that neither us nor Hizbullah want the weapons to be in the city. Will Hizbullah occupy Beirut for example?" wow this guy is getting senile, does he forget in 2008 what happened? Yes Hizballa occupied Beirut, that is exactly what they did, and yes they did it using their weapons.

so psycho aoun is revealing to the world that hizbelsarameh is threatening hariri's life and this of course opens the door to the real involvment in Rafik the father's death and so the international tribunal is not a zionist entity its only revealing the truth about this criminal nassour and his filthy hizb. and not to mention that aoun revealed also that he is aware that his ally is a murderer and dont care unless he has the power... aoun must die so lebanon will live!

Ok, for sure, flamethrower, you must be joking. We can always count on any lebanese to take credit for things, even things that never happened or to give the credit to whatever mini God he/she has, in lebanon, if it's not a politican, it's an actor, or singer or any white man.

Aoun : "I will announce my nomination when the political situation in parliament becomes clear and when (the current candidates) are dismissed."

Ya Aoun, this is not called elections, this is called "crowning" of kings or dictators. This is not the path to power in a democracy. Even in a joke of a democracy. There cannot be only 1 candidate ! You're a failure of a politician and a coward.

Aoun has officially lost whatever iota of sanity was left in his pea size brain ... He is accusing his allies of being behind the threats against Hariri as well as all the assassinations of M14 martyrs... I mean, honestly, how on earth does this guy have 1 Lebanese Christian following him? unless he has all those sheep on same medications?!!... He is a disgrace to the human race...